Kubalisa uYohane
1 Ekuqaleni, kungekadalwa, wayesele ekho uLizwi.+ ULizwi wayekunye noThixo,+ ibe uLizwi wayenguthixo.*+ 2 Yena wayekunye noThixo kwasekuqaleni. 3 Zonke izinto zadalwa ngaye,+ ibe akukho nenye into eyabakho ngaphandle kwakhe.
4 Ubomi babakho ngaye, ibe ubomi bakhe baba kukukhanya ebantwini.+ 5 Oko kukhanya kukhanyisa ebumnyameni,+ kodwa ubumnyama abukhange bukucime.
6 Kwafika umntu owayethunywe nguThixo; igama lakhe yayinguYohane.+ 7 Yena weza kungqina, engqinela ukukhanya,+ ukuze zonke iintlobo zabantu zikholwe ngenxa yakhe. 8 Yena wayengekuko oko kukhanya,+ kodwa wayeza kungqina ngako.
9 Sele eza kufika emhlabeni lowo ukukukhanya kokwenene, oza kukhanyisela wonke umntu.+ 10 Weza emhlabeni,+ ibe abantu badalwa ngaye,+ kodwa abantu abazange baqonde ukuba nguye. 11 Weza kubantu bakowabo, kodwa abazange bamamkele. 12 Kodwa ke bonke abamamkelayo, wabanceda baba ngabantwana bakaThixo,+ kuba babekholwa kuye.+ 13 Abazange bazalwe ngenyama negazi, okanye ngokuthanda kwabantu, kodwa bazalwa nguThixo.+
14 ULizwi waba ngumntu+ waza wahlala phakathi kwethu, salubona uzuko lwakhe, uzuko lonyana okuphela kozelwe ngutata wakhe.+ Wayenothando olufana nolukaThixo,* ibe wayesoloko ethetha inyaniso. 15 (UYohane wayengqina ngaye xa wayekhwaza esithi: “Nguye ke lo endathi ngaye, ‘Lowo uza emva kwam uye wadlulela phambi kwam, kuba wabakho ngaphambi kwam.’”)+ 16 Ngenxa yokuba wayenobubele obukhulu,* saqhubeka sifumana ububele obukhulu* phezu kobunye ububele. 17 UMthetho weza ngoMoses,+ bona ububele obukhulu*+ nenyaniso zeza ngoYesu Kristu.+ 18 Akukho mntu wakha wambona uThixo nanini na;+ abantu bamazi ngokumaziswa+ nguthixo okuphela kozelweyo,+ yena usondeleyo kuTata.*+
19 Nantsi into eyathethwa nguYohane xa amaYuda athuma ababingeleli nabaLevi ababevela eYerusalem ukuba bayokuthi kuye: “Ungubani?”+ 20 Watsho phandle, akakhanyela esithi: “Andinguye uKristu.” 21 Bathi: “Ungubani ke? UnguEliya?”+ Yena wathi: “Andinguye.” “UngumProfeti?”+ Waphendula wathi: “Hayi!” 22 Bathi: “Ungubani ke? Siphendule ukuze siyokuxelela abo basithumileyo. Uthi ungubani?” 23 Wathi: “Ndililizwi lalowo ukhwaza esentlango esithi, ‘Lungisani indlela kaYehova,’*+ njengokuba umprofeti uIsaya watshoyo.”+ 24 Aba bantu babethunywe ngabaFarisi. 25 Ngoko bathi kuye: “Kutheni ke ubhaptiza ukuba awungoKristu, awungoEliya, ungenguye nomProfeti?” 26 UYohane wathi: “Mna ndibhaptiza emanzini. Kodwa phakathi kwenu kukho umntu eningamaziyo, 27 lowo uza emva kwam, endingakufanelekelanga nokukhulula iimbadada ezi zakhe.”+ 28 Ezi zinto zenzeka eBhethani phesheya kweYordan, apho uYohane wayebhaptiza khona.+
29 Ngemini elandelayo wabona uYesu esiza ngakuye, wathi: “Jongani, nantsi iMvana+ kaThixo* esusa isono+ sehlabathi!+ 30 Lo ngulowo endathi ngaye: ‘Kuza umntu emva kwam, oye wadlulela phambi kwam, kuba wayekho ngaphambi kokuba ndibekho.’+ 31 Nam ndandingamazi, kodwa isizathu sokuba ndibhaptize abantu emanzini kukuba, kufuneka abonakale kuSirayeli.”+ 32 UYohane wangqina esithi: “Ndabona umoya usihla njengehobe uvela ezulwini, waza wahlala phezu kwakhe.+ 33 Nam ndandingamazi, kodwa Lowo wayendithume ukuba ndibhaptize emanzini wathi kum: ‘Nabani na obona kusehla umoya phezu kwakhe,+ nguye obhaptiza ngomoya oyingcwele.’+ 34 Ndiwubonile ke, ndaza ndangqina ukuba lo nguNyana kaThixo.”+
35 Kwakhona ngemini elandelayo uYohane wayemi nabafundi bakhe ababini, 36 wabona uYesu edlula apho, wathi: “Jongani, nantsi iMvana+ kaThixo!”* 37 Bathi bakuyiva le nto aba bafundi, balandela uYesu. 38 UYesu wajika, wababona bemlandela, wathi kubo: “Nifuna ntoni?” Bathi: “Rabhi (othetha ukuthi, “Mfundisi”), uhlala phi?” 39 Wathi kubo: “Yizani nizokubona.” Ngoko bahamba naye, babona ukuba uhlala phi, baza bahlala naye ngaloo mini; ngelo xesha kwakumalunga nentsimbi yesine emalanga.* 40 UAndreya+ umntakwabo Simon Petros wayengomnye waba bafundi babini bakaYohane abamvayo, baza balandela uYesu. 41 Waqala wayokukhangela umntakwabo uSimon, wathi kuye: “Simfumene uMesiya”+ (othetha ukuthi, “uKristu”), 42 waza wamsa kuYesu. UYesu wamjonga, wathi: “Wena Simon,+ nyana kaYohane; uza kubizwa ngokuba unguKefas” (othetha ukuthi, “Petros”).+
43 Ngemini elandelayo uYesu wafuna ukuya eGalili. Akudibana noFilipu,+ wathi kuye: “Yiba ngumlandeli wam.” 44 UFilipu wayengowaseBhethesayida, isixeko sakuloAndreya noPetros. 45 UFilipu wadibana noNathaniyeli,+ wathi kuye: “Simfumene lowo uMoses wabhala ngaye eMthethweni, nababhala ngaye abaProfeti, uYesu, unyana kaYosefu+ waseNazarete.” 46 Kodwa uNathaniyeli wathi kuye: “Ikhona na into entle enokuphuma eNazarete?” UFilipu wathi: “Yizokuzibonela.” 47 UYesu wambona uNathaniyeli esiza ngakuye, wathi: “Jongani, nanku umSirayeli olungileyo.”+ 48 UNathaniyeli wathi kuye: “Undazi njani?” UYesu wathi: “Ndiye ndakubona uphantsi komthi wamafiya,* ngaphambi kokuba uFilipu akubize.” 49 UNathaniyeli wathi: “Mfundisi,* unguye uNyana kaThixo, unguye uKumkani kaSirayeli.”+ 50 UYesu wathi: “Undikholelwa kuba ndikuxelele ukuba ndikubone phantsi komthi wamafiya na? Useza kubona izinto ezinkulu kunezi.” 51 Emva koko wathi: “Ndiyaniqinisekisa madoda ukuba, niza kubona izulu livulekile neengelosi zikaThixo zinyuka zisihla zisiya kuNyana womntu.”+